Here it is, May 16, 2013. And for the first time in years, the local trails are near inaccessible. They’ve been this way since last November. (Back then I was reveling in the fact that winter was late). This is usually not the case. By now the trails are ready for horse traffic. By now the buds on the trees have also begun to open, creating a hazy effect. Not this year.

Maybe what my friend Vickie said is right. Maybe yet another ice age is upon us. No, we all aren’t going to die a quick, terror-filled death. Rather, we’re all going to slowly freeze to death. This is going to be a slow and agonizing

process. Consequently, we’ll be forced to lament what used to be as we stand by wringing our hands and bitching and moaning. I hate to say it, but we have it coming to us. We’ll undoubtedly reproduce ourselves into near extinction. And furthermore, we’ve given no thought as to the consequences of our actions, most of which have been consumptive. I suspect it’s not too late to turn things around, but we simply don’t have the capacity to do this.

We human beings are simply the stupidest things that ever walked the planet, in fact far more stupid than dinosaurs. I wonder if giant cockroaches will dig up our bones and put them in museums for others of their kind to oww and aww over. Most likely they’ll put the bones together in such a way as to create something that’s physically different than what we are. We’ll appear to have walked on our heads and have our heads coming out of our asses.

I, who am as short-sighted as my peers, am now sitting around on my ass, and now ignoring the fact that the local trails are not yet horse habitable. Yesterday, Vickie came over with Hunar. We worked on obstacle training for a bit, then I suggested that we go for a ride, one in which we might practice the whoa and go game. Then when we came to it, I suggested that we go and check out Jim’s Road, which is actually a road-like gravel trail. I was, at the time, riding Raudi. In the past I would not have suggested this, because I then was fearful about riding her with others, for fear that she might do something foolish. But obviously, she and I have now moved beyond this simple, base emotion.

Vickie agreed, and so we went up Jim’s road, which was surface punchy. The ground below was still frozen. It froze last fall before the snow fell. Here and there were brown patches of ground, which were just a tad bit soft underfoot. The crusty patches of snow went thoock, thoock, thoock underfoot. I was even able to go up into the trees and do serpentines.

Raudi did bolt once, she got impatient when I asked her to whoa and Hunar moved on. But I didn’t allow myself to get apprehensive about it. In fact, I was having a wonderful time, and for this reason I suggested that we take the cross trail to the Murphy Road Trail. However, Vickie opted not to – she’d scheduled a jumping lesson Hunar for later in the day, and for this reason needed to get home.

After Vickie left, I rode Tinni, ponied Signy, and had Hrimmi tag along. We did the same ride as previously. Hrimmi had no problem getting over the trailhead snow berm, even though it was two feet in height. Signy balked, but I convinced her that it was to her benefit to go over it.

Today I decided to expand upon my range and domain by taking all the horses out, and going a bit further. I figured that I’d go up the Murphy Road trail, and take the cross trail to the Jim Road’s Trail. I’d then take it to the Loop Road, and
then extend the ride a bit more, by doing a portion of what I call Pat and Ray’s trail. (This trail comes out on the bottom portion of the Loop Road). Six or so Moose had passed through the yard, and they were in the vicinity of the Upper Loop Road – but I figured that I’d deal when I came across them. This too, I realized, was a decided change in attitude from before. I’d often, in the past, pass on rides when I knew there were moose in the area.

I first did this route on Tinni, aka Scout. Like yesterday, the trail was soft in places, but not overly punchy. I next took Signy and Hrimmi out. After, I took Raudi out, and followed the same course. Lastly, I took Siggi around the loop. All the horses did quite well; in fact, they seemed to be energized by the change in routine and scenery.

While on Tinni I met two men with long grey beards. They, who had two young kids with them, were checking out some property that one of the two had purchased. We talked for a while, and the three year old girl petted Tinni. When finally the child grew cranky, I said “Time to go. Pony doesn’t like cranky children. (I later told a friend about this – she was right when she said that with kids, having a pony is a form of power – the owner gets to dictate what’s what.)

I later felt as good about doing the day’s trail ride as I did about doing the previous day’s trail ride with Vickie. Getting off the beaten path is good, good, good. Of course, off the beaten path will in the next few weeks become the beaten path, meaning that both the horses and I will in time become bored with the same old same old.

I hope this comes to be. But for this to happen, we’ll first need a run of sunshine and warm weather. I hope that Mother Nature plays her cards right. This does not seem to me to be too much to ask of her.

Next: 137: May 17, 2013: Waiting